Things Didn't Change Before
by JMolover13
Summary: Graham died during the curse, but he came back after the curse. What happens when Ruby find him in the forest? Will Emma be able to forgive Regina for killing him?


**Anonymous asked you: Because of some magical-curse-related-magic-something, the Huntsman is alive post-curse-being-broken. Red, who of course now remembers what happened to Peter, is convinced the Huntsman knows how Peter could come back too. But since Peter died pre-curse, there is nothing the Huntsman can do. He helps Red eventually come to terms with what she did & accept that it wasn't her fault, and they begin to fall in love.**

**AN: This one has a lot of Swan Queen in it, but it does fill the prompt. I hope you don't mind, Anon! Hope you enjoy!**

Emma and Mary Margaret had been back in Storybrooke for all of two weeks before the entire bond they'd formed began hanging on by a thread. First thing that Ruby noticed sparked a bit of tension was Emma inviting Regina to dinner. The second and third things the brunette observed from afar and kept to herself about until her friend wanted to talk. Emma made sure to sit with the former mayor, oh-so-subtly putting her arm around the brunette. Ruby noticed it as she was getting refills; she also noticed Mary Margaret taking in the action as subtly and seamlessly as she could. Emma also didn't go home with her parents and Henry. She played it well actually, she told Henry it was because she'd learned some things about her in Fairytale Land and she really needed to talk to her, and she did a great job of not actually saying anything involving a reason to her parents.

Ruby took it upon herself to relieve Emma of any tension from her deceivingly-and-actually-not-so-oblivious father by telling him that she'd keep working at the station until things settled. And that's where she was when the sheriff walked in at precisely 8 o'clock two weeks after her and her mother's arrival.

"Hey Rubes." Emma smiled a graceful smile.

"Hey, Sheriff." The brunette greeted with a smile of her own before she kicked her legs off the deputy's desk and planted them on the ground watching the Sheriff walk to the coffee pot as casually as possible with a knowing smirk on her face, "And just how is Regina doing this morning?"

Emma coughed as she poured herself a cup of coffee, "She's… Good. Great. Regina's great."

"Mhmm, I'll bet she is now that you're back." When Emma spun and gave her a dark look, she stood up and waited for the blonde to walk passed her again into her office before she followed and shut the door behind her, "Hey, you're not getting any judgment from me, Emma, alright? I more meant it as playful… You know, how we used to be?"

"Used to be… you mean before the curse broke and I didn't know that you and my _mother_ were the best of friends?"

"Just because I'm friends with your mom, doesn't mean I can't still be friends with you too… It's not like we're not all the same age here…" This did make Emma smile again, "Listen. I haven't told her, okay? But they do know…"

"How?"

"Your subtlety is about as good as Mary Margaret's… You're not leaving two cups in the sink, but you are _living_ with her." Ruby paused to let that one sink in.

"Well!" Emma set her mug down with a bit of force before she slumped in her chair, "… I love her…"

"I know, but it's the 'evil' queen." Ruby argued.

Emma tilted her head, "Why do you say it like that?"

"Because she's the 'evil' queen."

"Why do you roll your eyes and bunny quote the word 'evil'?"

Ruby tilted her head, "Do you know my real story?"

Emma stared at her, "That you're a real bitch?" She grinned.

"Haha." Ruby did grin despite her sarcasm, "You are so punny." She shook her head, "Yes, I'm my own curse… For 28 years, I didn't have that curse. For 28 years, I could hang out whenever, wherever. For 28 years, I didn't have to be constantly reminded of what I did to Peter… And I owe that to Regina." She swallowed, "And while you were gone another full moon passed. King George took my cloak and started a whole mob trying to come and kill me…" She looked off to the side, "Regina used magic a grand total of three times while you were away: To make Daniel disappear, to suck Rumple's spell from the portal; those you know about, but she also used magic on me to make me not turn. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to control it, so she came to me and told me she could help me." She paused, "She's not evil. Not anymore."

"I know that." Emma's tone was hard.

"Your parents don't." Ruby stood, "Just talk to Mary Margaret… that's all I'm asking."

"Alright." Emma relented.

A while later, Regina walked into the station.

"Hello, Regina." Ruby greeted from her desk.

"Oh." Regina did her best not to look disappointed that someone other than Emma was at the station, "Hello, Ruby dear. How are you?"

"I'm okay. How about you?"

"I was…" Regina bit her lip and crossed her arms, clenching, "Just looking for the sheriff? If she was here?"

"She's in her office." Ruby pointed with her head.

Regina looked inside to see the blonde dutifully looking over some of the case files that had gathered since she'd been sucked into that portal. She walked cautiously to the doorway and knocked softly on the wood paneling.

Emma looked up and a huge grin spread across her face, "Hey." She got up and walked over to Regina with her hands out, then retracted immediately and rubbed the back of her neck. She glanced to Ruby, who was unabashedly watching on, "How're you?"

"I'm umm…" Regina knew Ruby was watching as well and didn't want to share with the class, so she only shrugged.

Ruby knew when she wasn't wanted, so she stood up, "Listen, umm… I'm going to leave for an indiscernible about of time because of… reasons." She said as she put on her jacket, "Cool?"

"Definitely." Emma said a little too soon. When she got the look from both Ruby and Regina she only shrugged. "Bye Ruby."

"Bye."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Ruby couldn't help smiling as she walked the trail in the woods. She'd never seen Regina act like that, and it was so… adorable. Of course, she'd never seen Emma so head over heels either and while she hadn't even known the girl a year, she knew more about her than her mother. And Emma was not one for love; love was hard and painful and a straight up bitch to her. But she was so unbelievably all in with the former evil queen that Ruby couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy for them.

Of course like all people who feel warm and fuzzy for another couple, she was also a hell of a lot jealous. She wanted love. She wanted Peter. She wanted—BOOM!

Ruby turned around at the loud noise. Her ears were perked and she could smell something different in the air. She walked quickly with a purpose and could not believe what she found.

"Graham!" Ruby ran over to the former sheriff. As she took everything in, she realized he was naked and unconscious. "Oh shit. What do I do?" She asked herself before taking off her coat and laying it over him, "We're gonna get you taken care of… I promise, Graham." As she talked, she noticed chunks of bark laying around him. She knit her brows and looked on, finding the whole thing odd. She finally saw the biggest, surfboard-sized hunk of wood and turned completely to find a human sized whole in the tree, "Good gods…" She breathed out before she got sense enough to call for an ambulance.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma and Regina stormed into the hospital hand in hand after getting the call from Ruby. Both had to see it for themselves. So far, only Ruby, the two nurses assigned to Graham's case and Dr. Whale were allowed access to his room, but everyone pointed the two on until they were in his room.

Graham was dressed in a hospital gown and covered in heating blankets. He had yet to wake up. Ruby shut the door after they entered, keeping prying eyes away from the scandal the entire town was about to pick raw. She crossed her arms and watched them both look at him for a moment, "Whale has discovered brain activity, so it should be any time now." When she saw Emma's grip on Regina tighten, she asked, "Are you two going to be alright?"

"Yeah…" Emma breathed out for them both.

"Because last time he was here, you two came to blows…" Ruby had moved to Emma's side and tried to make it so only the blonde heard her.

"Emma…" Regina pulled from the blonde, "I… I can't be here…"

"Yes you can. We have to figure out what happened… How he came back."

"Well… Best and obvious guess for the 'how' is the tree."

"The tree?" Emma looked at Ruby.

Ruby opened her mouth to answer, but a low, breathy voice came from the bed, "It was the curse…"

All three of them looked to Graham with wide eyes.

Ruby was the first to get over the shock of seeing his dark hazel eyes again and stepped forward, "The curse?"

He nodded slowly, "I died during it and now it's broken." His voice was still raspy.

"What do you mean? You got to come back because the curse broke?" Ruby asked.

Graham nodded again. He took in a deep breath with the aid of the oxygen line, "Yes. The evil queen found true love," He looked to said evil queen, "So all the evil she did after the curse was enacted was brought back."

Emma took a step back, "All the… You!" She spoke quietly, "You killed him?"

Regina didn't answer she only covered her mouth to stop the smallest of sobs and walked to the door then left.

"Emma!" Ruby scolded, "Go after her!"

"No!"

"Emma." Graham looked at her with a kind pain in her eyes, "Go after her."

"Why?"

"Because she loves you." He said.

Emma obviously needed more, and Ruby watched him, "Oh my God… If Regina is in pain then are you in pain?"

"No." He shook his head, "It's more than that; I've been in her heart. That's where I was sent. It was the worst torture I've ever been through. She deserves this, Emma. She deserves you."

Emma stood for only five more seconds before she stomped and whined, "Damn it! Stupid undead dude making me listen to him because I'm all freaked out." She stalked to the door and walked out.

Ruby turned back to Graham, "I can't believe you are back." She sat on the chair next to him.

Graham nodded, "It's a little unbelievable to me as well, but Regina wanted it this way."

Ruby cocked her head, "What?"

"I was the only evil thing she did. She knew she wouldn't have to be evil here unless the savior came back. So, she added to the curse by putting that any evil done during the curse would be rectified." He took long breaths and grinned, "And the savior came back and the curse broke, then I came back."

"Wow…" She looked around and down, "So… Wow…"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Graham had been back in town for a little over three months. And with each passing day, Ruby had more and more questions that she couldn't seem to get out. He was staying in Ruby's apartment in the Inn with her because he needed someone to watch after him after checking out of the hospital.

Belle offered him a job at the library for which Ruby was grateful that someone would look out for him and his job wouldn't be taxing.

Emma and Ruby walked to the library after their shift. "So, he's doing good?" Emma asked, putting her hands in her back pockets.

"Yeah. He's cracking jokes, acting like he was never gone." Ruby said. "I don't think that he's actually alright though."

"Yeah, Regina said that he's probably hiding everything… like his real emotions or whatever."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… She said that where he went and how he came back is something that no one has ever been through before… Except for me and Pinocchio… but that's just the tree thing…"

Ruby smiled, "Alright sheriff. Hey, why are you coming with me?"

"Just wanted to check on him… I mean, before he died…"

"You fell for him."

"No… Kind of, but… No…" She shook her head, "I mean, we made out and then he died in my arms…" Her face scrunched before she looked at Ruby again. "But I never fell for him…"

"You fell for your evil queen." Ruby smiled at her and nudged her.

Emma grinned, "I did… And I just want to make sure he's okay."

Ruby nodded, "I think he's doing fine. As fine as one can be from dying and coming back a year later via birth from a tree."

"Ah."

They walked in to find Belle and Graham sitting in the middle of the circular checkout desk both reading different novels. Graham glanced up and stood straight, "Ruby." He smiled and hopped over the desk and walked over to her, "Hey Emma."

"Hi Graham, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He said hiding his annoyance.

"Hey, fine," Emma put her hands up, "I'll stop asking."

Graham only nodded and stayed quiet.

Ruby decided to interrupt the silence, "So, are you ready?"

"Yeah." He nodded and looked over to Belle, "Bye, Belle."

"Goodbye Graham. Ruby." She smiled as they walked out of the library.

Emma watched the librarian as she watched the two go, "Belle…?"

"Yes Sheriff?"

"Who exactly are you watching with that look on your face?"

Belle blinked a couple times, "I beg your pardon?"

"Graham or Ruby?"

"It doesn't matter." She looked down, "It's not like either of them is ready for a relationship…"

Emma leaned against the counter, "Either way, you deserve someone who is looking at you the same way you look at them."

Belle nodded, refusing to look at the blonde. "Sheriff?"

"Yes, Belle?"

"Don't you get tired of the stares?" Belle knew what the blonde was implying by someone that looks at her the same way, and she decided to ask the only other person that would understand.

"Yes." Emma said without hesitation, "I also get tired of my parents and people that think they're friends telling me their opinions each and everyday, but I'd rather put up with that than not be with her…" The blonde shrugged again before walking to the exit "I have to go, Regina's making dinner."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Ruby and Graham were in the living room, late in the night. Graham was staring at her and Ruby, once she felt the stare, blushed and looked to Graham, "What's up?"

"You're a wolf…"

"Sometimes."

"Why haven't you changed since I've come back."

"Regina… She's helping me out until I find my cloak or we come up with a better solution."

Graham nodded, "She's really trying, isn't she?"

"I've never seen her like this." Ruby smiled and nodded then looked away, "It makes me so jealous that she gets love again."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me think that I can have another chance." Her eyes widened and she looked to Graham, "You said that you came back because you died during the curse… What if a person died before the curse? There has to be a way to bring someone back, right?"

Graham put his hand up and moved to the coffee table across from Ruby on the couch, "No."

"Yes! There has to be a way!"

"No." Graham's voice rose a bit before Ruby could try to convince that there really was a way. He knelt on his knee and took her hand in one of his and her face in his other, "Ruby. He can't come back, alright? Peter can't come back."

Ruby stared at him for a full minute before she started to let the idea sink in. Her eyes watered and she fell forward, "But there has to be a way…"

Graham scooped her up and brought her to her bedroom. He didn't say anything he only laid her down. She stopped him from leaving and gave him a pleading look. He nodded and stayed with her. He stroked her hair and rubbed her back until she fell asleep.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Ruby would come back to the same question of 'why?' every couple of days for the next two months. She'd been put into a funk after realizing that all she wanted was what everyone else seemed to have. She took a trail up to the most peaceful spot Storybrooke had to offer. No one knew about it except for her.

She needed to clear her head. Sure she'd been asking 'why?' about Peter, but that was never the question she actually wanted to ask. She wanted to know what the hell she was feeling for Graham. It wasn't annoyance, it wasn't hatred, it wasn't lust—or it wasn't just lust. It wasn't just a crush, or just friendship. She knew it was positive, but she just needed to think.

But, something was off when she got there. She saw a few blankets and crossed boots sticking out from a tree… So, no one else knew about this spot except for this dude. When she got to the tree to confront the other person and tell them that she needed her spot to think, she looked down to find none other than her roommate.

"Graham?"

He looked up and smiled, "Ruby." He pulled his legs up, wrapped his arms around his knees and rubbed his scruff with his hand, "What are you doing here?"

Ruby knelt on the blankets and looked to him, "I could ask you the same thing…?"

"I just needed some time to myself. I always liked coming here."

"Are you sure?"

Graham knit his brows, "Ruby, I died and came back, I don't have amnesia."

Ruby gave him a look, "Well, it's just I didn't know that other people knew about this spot. I thought it was my personal thinking spot…"

Graham put his chin on his shoulder as he looked over to the woman and studied her, "What do you need to come think about?"

"If there's any possibility that I can have love again…"

"I can't keep telling you that he can't come back… It's hurts you and that hurts me…" He mumbled into his sleeve.

Ruby nodded, "No, I know. I just… If Regina can find love twice, then doesn't that mean that there's hope for me?"

"If Regina can find love twice then you definitely have a chance…" He nodded, "And so do I."

"Who was your first love? Is that who you came up here to think about?" She asked.

He smiled, "I never found love in my first life. Before I could I became Regina's servant… And the curse happened and I thought maybe Emma, but…" He shook his head, "It wasn't love…"

"How do you know?"

"Well… We didn't look at each other the way her and Regina do, or the way Snow and Charming do… We looked at each other like kindred spirits… We look at each other like kindred spirits…"

"So you're thinking about who your first love is or could be?"

He nodded and turned away from her.

"Oh my God, you're already in love? Graham you've been back for five months—OH! Is it Belle?" She asked.

"No, it's not Belle." He looked straight ahead and put his chin on his folded arms.

"Who is it?"

"Just a girl."

"Just a girl? Really? That's all you have to say about her?"

"No… but that's all she would ever say about herself." He smiled, "She's a little tortured, a little sad, completely damaged…"

"Who isn't?"

"She's got this incredible faith in even the most evil beings…"

"And you're sure it's not Belle?"

"Yes." He turned to her, "She's incredibly beautiful. She flaunted that beauty during the curse, but now she tones it down… Though she still seems to hide behind it." He squinted his eyes at her, "She just wants love." He said after a moment, "She just wants love and I'm not sure she wants me. But I'd want nothing more than to give it to her."

Ruby stared at him, "I think if she makes you feel like that then the least you can do is tell her."

"She's by best friend. And unlike the sheriff, I don't mean it as a pun."

This made Ruby narrow her eyes at him, "Emma calls _me_ her best friend and she means to be punny because of the wolf…"

Graham nodded, "I know. I call you my best friend because you saved me and you've done nothing but take care of me, and I'm trying to do nothing but take care of you…" he clenched his jaw when he felt water prickling his eyes.

"What are you saying?"

He turned back to the view from looking at Ruby, "Did you know that I was a huntsman in the other world?" Ruby barely nodded as her confusion tried to make sense of itself. Graham grinned as he looked at his dry hands, "The girl I'm in love with I believe is perfect for me because I used to roam with wolves—they were the only creatures that understood me—and the girl—the woman I'm in love with has a uniqueness that no other woman has… She's part wolf, or she is every full moon."

Ruby's heart was pounding out of her chest cavity, "Graham." He didn't look at her, but she saw his ears perk, "Look at me, please." When he finally looked her direction she stared at him a moment, "You're in love with me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

He smiled, "Because."

"That's not a good answer."

"It wasn't a good question." He smiled, "I love you because of everything I just said…"

Ruby smiled and fell into his side, "I don't know what to say…"

"Well… you could tell me how you feel about me…" He tried not to sound like a teenaged girl.

"I don't know how I feel about you… That's what I was coming here for. But you were already here…" She tilted her head up to him, "Do you think that's a sign? That of all the people in Storybrooke, you are the only person that came to my spot. And you were thinking about me at the same time I came to think about you?"

Graham shook his head, "I can't answer that without bias…"

Ruby smiled and boldly leaned into him more. She nuzzled his scruff and whispered in his ear, "I think it was." She kissed his cheek.

~0~0~0~0~0~

A month or so later, Ruby and Graham were cuddled up in a booth at the diner. Henry ran inside followed by Emma and Regina. The boy made a beeline for the counter to order a hot chocolate.

"Hey kid!" Emma called out to him then pointed to the booth Ruby and Graham were at. He nodded and turned back around. The blonde then plopped into the booth and scooted in. She opened her arm up for Regina to sit next to her, "Hey guys." She said as she settled with her lover.

"Hey." They said that the same time.

Henry came over with hot cocoa and pulled a chair up to sit with his mothers and Ruby and Graham.

Before the four of them could order, Snow and Charming walked in. Snow saw her grandson, her best friend, her daughter and their lovers. She pointed to the table next to the door for Charming to sit before she walked over to them, "Hello all." She smiled kindly.

"Hi Grandma." Henry smiled up at her.

"Hey Snow." Ruby said.

"Hi Snow." Graham followed suit.

"Hello Snow." Regina smiled kindly.

"Hey." Emma pulled Regina closer both in protection and to avoid eye contact with her mother.

"Well, I just wanted to say hello." She turned to leave, "Emma? I'd really like to talk with you sometime." She spoke quietly.

"Yeah, okay." Emma nodded curtly before looking at her hand in Regina's hair.

Snow nodded before walking back to her Charming.

"Emma!" Ruby hissed as she leaned into the table more.

"What?"

"Why haven't you talked to your mom?"

"Because."

"That's not a good answer."

"Well… The question sucked too."

Ruby crossed her arms and gave her best impression of a mother with her raised brows, "Emma Louise Swan, I may ask bad questions every so often." She glanced to Graham who smiled into his coffee cup, "But that was not a bad question."

"Yes, darling, I'd really prefer you to talk to her…"

"Why?" Emma turned with a hard look to Regina.

"Emma… She's your mother." Regina gave her a look filled with sadness, "And she loves you…" She kept her eyes away from everyone but the blonde who only slumped forward a bit before taking her into a hug.

"Okay." She said so only Regina could hear her, "Okay." She kissed her cheek.

Graham smiled at the couple then turned to Ruby. He wrapped his arm around her then kissed her hair. "I think I like this place better post-curse." He stated.

Ruby pulled from him for a moment, "Why?"

"Things are constantly changing and evolving… That was really the only cursed part of the curse… that things didn't change."


End file.
